[Behavior therapy for patients with dental fear]

Many dentists, in the course of their daily work with their patients, engage in a more or less explicit psychologic treatment of their patients where these evidence symptoms of odontophobia. In the case of many patients, the personal characteristics and individual psychologic skills of the dentist can be sufficient to the occasion, but for patients who suffer from serious phobic reactions to the dental situation, both good psychologic insight and experience are required in order that a psychologic treatment may be embarked upon with the prospect of a successful outcome. This article describes the various treatment techniques relevant to odontophobia which have their theoretical basis in the modern forms of behavior therapy. Thus the procedures associated with systematic desensitisation, fading, flooding, stress inoculation training, modelling, assertiveness training, progressive relaxation and biofeedback are briefly described. An absolutely necessary requirement for the successful treatment of a phobia is the establishment of a satisfactory and trusting relationship between patient and therapist, a requirement which in the case of dental anxiety is all too often ignored. The article emphasises that these treatment procedures are generally time-consuming, and that economic considerations dictate that it is difficult to incorporate them into private practice.